The Rotary Club of Avon-Canton gave a check for $2,000 to Cherry Brook Health Care Center in Canton at its November 21 meeting. The gift will help Cherry Brook purchase a bladder scanner needed for the nursing home's residents.

Approximately half of nursing home residents in the United States are incontinent. "The primary benefit to having a bladder scanner is preventing unnecessary catheterization, reducing the rate of infection and preserving the residents' dignity", said Rebecca Stevenson, Director of Admissions and Marketing at Cherry Brook. "More importantly, the decreased incidents of infection translates to fewer hospitalizations, leading to improved quality of life for our residents", said Stevenson.

The Rotary Club of Avon-Canton raises money through fund-raising projects such as its signature Tastes of the Valley, which will be held at Tower Ridge Country Club March 21, 2015. It donates approximately $40,000 annually to non-profit charitable organizations in Avon, Canton, Hartford and throughout the world. Grant application forms are available at www.rotaryclubofavon-canton.org .

Rotary's motto is "Service above Self" and the Rotary Club of Avon-Canton is one of 34,000 clubs with over 1.3 million members in 200 countries.